


Please Come Back

by Pink_Ego



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, but he's not bitter about it, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-06-28 19:16:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15713397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pink_Ego/pseuds/Pink_Ego
Summary: Arin confesses to Dan that he may have more than platonic feelings for him. He has no idea how Dan takes it because he walks away. Maybe they can reconcile?





	1. Confession

It had been two weeks. Two full weeks since Arin had confessed that maybe he had a crush on Dan. Two full weeks without a recording session. Two full weeks of ignored texts and calls.

He had long since surpassed worrying about what he said and was more worried how Dan was taking it. He wasn't worried he had done something rash; he wasn't like that. He just assumed Dan had holed up in his house for a few days, maybe went to see Brian.

Arin set the plate he was washing down and sighed. He wiped his hand dry and checked his phone. Once again, he was met with a no text notifications from Dan. He set it aside again and resumed his washing as he thought back to the night.

_They were sleepy and giggly and playing a game. It had been a long day. He yawned and leaned against Dan's side as his character ran across the screen._

_"You make a comfy pillow, dude." He shifted a bit until he was comfortable._

_"Aw, thanks. Most girlfriends found me too bony." His fingers moved from the back of the couch to Arin's shoulder, curling around the soft muscle with his fingertips under the sleeve edge._

_Arin tried to not think too much about how easy the action sent his heart soaring. "Nah. You got some plush to ya." He adjusted again and stretched. "Alright. Next time on Game Grumps."_

_Dan stretched as well. "We'll be awake and moving and ready to finish this game."_

_"Hopefully." He sat up to write down the time and grab a drink of water._

_"You got this, baby. I believe in you."_

_Again, just simple words made his stomach flip happily. "Man, you believe in me so much. I'm just overflowing with Dan love." He laughed softly as he leaned back against him._

_Dan put his hand back on Arin's shoulder. "That's what I'm here for, baby bear. Lots of lovin'." He made sure the mics were off and traced the edge of Arin's sleeve. "I may just stay here tonight. Sleep on the couch in your office."_

_Arin yawned. "I had the same idea. Plus, this one stinks with all my farts so I wouldn't want to lay on it and let them all free."_

_"No kidding. This whole room is just plastered with your ass stink. We're gonna have to deep clean to get the smell out whenever we finally decide we're sick of it."_

_Arin simply chuckled and yawned. "Don't let me keep you here all night. You can push me off at any moment."_

_Dan said nothing, simply continuing his slow circles on Arin's arm and beginning to sing one of his latest covers._

_It was a comfortable silence, Dan's voice lulling Arin to an even further state of relaxation. He began to feel more comfortable and even felt the need to say what had been on his tongue for years._

_"Hey, Dan?"_

_"Yes, Arin?"_

_"Can I tell you something kinda serious?"_

_Not even a moment of hesitation, "Of course."_

_Arin shifted his head, face more against the man's chest. "... I like you, dude."_

_"I know."_

_"No, not like that." The fingers on his arm slowed to a halt. "I mean... I like like you." Slowly, he tried to hide but he heard Dan murmur for him to sit up._

_The two of them slowly sat up, Arin on his legs and Dan against the arm of the couch. Dan had an unreadable look on his face. "You like like me. Like how we used to say to girls when we were in third grade?"_

_Regret washed over Arin like a tsunami. He looked down at his hands resting in fists upon his folded legs. Wordlessly, he nodded. "It... might even be more than that," he whispered, but in the soundproofed room it was like a bomb dropping._

_He couldn't take it back and say it was a joke. He was too sincere. They both could tell. He wasn't as good at fake outs as Dan was; they'd learned that playing trick-the-other-person style games._

_"More how." It wasn't angry, but forceful. Like he needed to know right away. It was edging on angry, Arin felt._

_"More as in I think... Dan, don't make me say it." His throat began to close as he began to panic. He had no way out and now he had to face the music. Dan asked again, more forceful._

_"I think I love you."_

_They sat in quiet silence before Dan stood and started for the door. Arin couldn't look; couldn't watch as his best friend left him._

_"I'll see you later, Arin."_

_The door shut and the man laid back down, wrapping in the brown blanket so many lovelies called Dan's even though he was the one who'd bought it._

Thinking on it now, Arin knew then Dan had all intention of returning, but after week one came and went, his hope began to fade. 

He feared that he had lost his best friend all because he had fallen for him. 


	2. Consolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan comes back! He and Arin sit and talk about it a little.

Arin returned to the Grump office the next morning. He may have been alone in the room, but only because he still had a job to do. Dan would come back eventually, he hoped. They had enough episodes to last another week, so he figured some solo episodes would be a good idea to pad the time between. 

Halfway through another episode of some new VR game, he took off the headset to adjust a slipping strap and saw movement in the window. It vanished quickly, but the sight of curls lingered on the edge. 

Arin felt his heart leap up into his throat. Dan was here. He was finally here. He swallowed hard and put the headset back on. "Alright. Feels better. Anyways." He resumed playing the game, as the timer wasn't even half through. 

The last seven minutes or so, he spent worrying Dan would be gone when he finally finished recording. The outro was rushed, but he didn't care. He barely remembered to take off the headset despite the fact that it was hindering his vision.

Every scenario raced through his head. Which would play out? Would Dan tell him he was leaving, that he couldn't handle being around Arin knowing there was a crush? Would he return his feelings? Would he stay despite it being unrequited? Butterflies grew in his stomach at each idea. 

"Dan?" He pushed open the door and looked towards the desk. No one was there. His heart plummeted. 

Arin pushed his hair back and went to the main office. No curls sitting at the desks out here. No lanky man searching the fridge. No Dan anywhere he could see. Still glancing around in side rooms and hallways, he asked the intern, "Stella? Have you seen Dan?"

"Yeah. I think he was heading out." She pointed towards the front door. "He didn't say anything. Just asked where you were earlier." She knew Arin had been waiting for Dan to show, but she had assumed Dan had actually gone and talked to him, not shown up and only vanished. 

Arin nodded stiffly, hands shaking now. He all but ran to the front door and looked around the parking lot. Dan's SUV still sat in the usual spot. Relief was like a wave. "Oh thank fuck." He went back inside and noticed his office door was slid slightly out of place. Not enough to be considered open, but ajar.

Slowly, he took the edge of the door and slid it open and saw Dan sitting on his couch, head down and in his hands.

He swallowed hard again as he began to run through scenarios of the impending conversation. He flicked on the lights and shut the door. The elder didn't move. "Uh. Hi, Dan."

"Hi, Arin." His voice was both heartbreaking and a relief. It was heavy, like he hadn't been talking for awhile and these were the first words, but it also broke like he was upset. "We need to talk. Can... Can you sit down?" Still, Dan did not look at Arin, but he did lift his head and nod towards the office chair.

Arin didn't move at first, still stunned by finally seeing him, then nodded and went to the chair. He sink into it and finally got a good look at Dan. He appeared to have dark circles forming under his eyes, but they were also red like he'd been crying.

_'Oh god I fucked up. I fucked up. I ruined everything.'_

Dan's eyes fell from Arin's back to the floor. "I've thought a lot about what you said."

"Dan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you-"

He raised a finger, silencing the younger's hurried excuses. "Let me finish. I need to just... talk."

Dan sighed and pushed his hair back. Arin unconsciously mirrored the movement, feeling that same stress. "I spent the two weeks with Brian and Rachel. In case you wondered where I was. I didn't really like being at home alone."

The singer looked at his hands. "We talked about a lot. Not just what you said. But myself too." He looked at Arin, face stoic. "I don't think I feel the same way."

To say Arin's heart broke was an understatement. He felt like his whole world shattered. "Oh. Okay."

"I do love you, and I mean it when I say I do, but it's not like that." He looked at his hands again. "Brian helped me though. I was... terrified, to say the least. I'm not used to a guy liking me. It felt a little wrong."

Arin's fists clenched around his shorts. "It's more accepted now, Daniel. You've known I was into guys for years."

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant wrong for me." He straightened up and gave a wide eyed look. "Like. God, I don't know how to say this without digging a deeper hole." 

"Just drop it. I get the gist." Arin let his anger dissipate with a slow breath. Dan wouldn't swing low like that and insult him for being bi. "You don't feel the same way. I understand."

"But, we're still friends. If it's not going to be awkward." Dan wiped his eyes lightly.

Arin nodded. "Yeah. It's not to difficult to ignore it."

Dan avoided the loaded statement and nodded agreement. "Well, I saw you were recording a game. Do you want to try and do a few more episodes?"

Arin nodded yet again. He stopped in the kitchen first for a drink and sent Suzy a text to explain more of the situation. He splashed some water on his face and just tried to relax. 

Dan and him were still friends. Their dynamic wasn't changed. Arin's secret was just out in the open, but that didn't change anything. He started for the recording room again where he saw Dan's usual set of curls above the couch with the brown blanket draped over his shoulders.

_'I can do this. We can still just be Dan and Arin. Best friends,' he thought, a pang in his heart. He pushed the door shut with a click and grabbed the most recent game._

"Come on, you slowpoke! I wanna watch you fail at games already!" Dan turned to look at him, face composed with that dumb grin on his face. 

He couldn't help the goofy smile and his heart fluttering. "Anything for you, Danny."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's gonna be more, don't worry. I really love this story and have ideas so I'll hopefully write another chapter soon!
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr @pink-ego!


	3. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are tense between the boys and Arin is sick of it. Brian has to help Dan figure things out. Mostly just be there for him while he talks things out.

The days were a bit tense. Arin noticed right away that Dan wasn't as affectionate. He didn't seem to be calling him any pet names, and any time he was about to, he stopped himself. Even Big Cat had disappeared from his vocabulary. He didn't say it enough on the show to alarm the lovelies but off camera, it was noticeable. 

He had also stopped touching as much. Dan had always been a touch-affectionate person. Like a hand on the arm, arm tossed over his shoulders. A friendly ruffle of the hair even. For Arin, those gestures were few and far between. 

Arin set another stack of paperwork to the side and rubbed his eyes. He'd been stuck in his office working on stuff he'd been putting off while Dan and Brian were recording for an album that day, so he had lot of time to think about it.

"Hey, Arin, Matt and I are headed out. I think Ross may still be here, but I wanted to let you know." Ryan poked his head in.

"Alright. Thanks. Have a good one," Arin nodded. As Ryan was about to leave, he called after him, "Hey, have you seen Dan or Brian?"

"No. Well, I think I heard them come by earlier when you were out for lunch, but they weren't here long." Ryan paused a moment to make sure of no more questions before ducking back out when Arin thanked him again and returned to his computer. 

He thought for a bit on things. Dan was definitely avoiding him. Dan wasn't staying around the office long. Dan had changed after their talk, so he needed to talk with Dan again and find out what was going on. "Hey, Siri. Text Dan."

**To Dan ♡: Hey can you come by tonight? I need to run some things by you**

It was a minute or two before he got a response. Nothing to worry himself over. Dan wasn't always the fastest typist. 

**From Dan ♡: I'll try to but no promises. Bri's got me working on a new song and you know how that is.**

**To Dan ♡: God what a jerk. Stealing my Dan.**

Arin frowned. He thought they had finished writing a few days ago, which had led to today's recording session. Fear mixed with anger crept up his back. He had the feeling Dan was avoiding him again. He switched contacts and found Brian's name. 

**To Brian: Are you and Dan really still working?**

If Dan was there and saw it, he could assume it was Arin whining, but Arin had to know for certain from the source of Dan's staying late. 

It was a good ten minutes before Brian even saw the message and made Arin's doubts begin to dissipate before they came back full force.

**From Brian: No. We finished like four hours ago.**

"I fucking knew it." Arin tossed his phone at the couch in frustration. "Fucking... Dan!"

He sat for a moment, hands in his hair, just trying to think. Finally, he got back up and grabbed it. He punched in the number and put it to his ear. He answered on the third ring.

"Hey, Arin, I told you-"

"I already messaged Brian." The angry tone was obvious.

Silence. Then a quiet, "I'm sorry."

Arin grit his teeth. "Why are you avoiding me? I thought we were fine."

"We are," Dan said quickly. "It's just... awkward."

"How is it awkward for you?! You're the one changing!" He pushed his hair back. "You're the one avoiding me at all costs!"

"You don't get it, Arin."

Venom reached his voice as rage set in at those words. "Humor me."

Dan was quiet for a moment. "Imagine yourself in my shoes. Your best friend tells you he loves you? It's horrifying because you're not gay! You've spent your whole life with girls and you really, really love boobs but suddenly you feel like maybe there's something wrong with you? Like-" He stopped suddenly. Arin could hear the struggle in his voice. "Its not right, Arin. I don't like you like that."

"God you sound like the biggest closeted guy I've ever fucking met," he spat. "Even if you're struggling with your own homophobia, that doesn't explain why you can't even look at me some days."

"Because I don't like feeling this way! And being around you makes me feel this way."

"We can still be friends. Go fucking talk to a therapist about this. I don't know. Just stop avoiding me. You're making me feel bad for telling you how I feel all because you can't handle it."

Dan was silent. "Fine. Maybe I'll go see someone."

Arin nodded, "Good. Just stop avoiding me. That's my whole point. We're still just Dan and Arin, Game Gru/mps."

"Yeah." A pause. "I'll talk to you later, Arin."

"Alright. Love ya." The affectionate phrase rolled off his tongue so easily he didn't think twice about it.

"Mhm."

When they hung up, both could feel that everything was even worse than before.

Arin looked back at his computer and slowly began working once again.

Meanwhile, Dan laid on his bed, crying because he was terrified of the fact that maybe he liked Arin back. That he was ruining their friendship with it.

He sat up and grabbed his phone and called Brian. "Can you come over?"

"Yeah. Why? You okay?" The rustle of sheets. Brian had been laying down already. Dan felt bad, but he needed someone.

"Not really. I just need to talk with you about stuff." He set a pot of water to boil for tea. 

"Arin stuff?"

"Yeah. He called me."

"Alright. I'm headed over. I'll be there in ten." A door shut.

"Thanks, Brian." They both hung up with that and Dan stared at the pot. 

\---

"The doctor is in. What seems to be the problem?" Brian joked as he came inside.

Dan chuckled slightly but his heart wasn't in it. "Make sure to lock the door."

Brian did so and joined Dan on the couch. "Alright. So. You're having boy troubles. I didn't think I'd have this conversation until Audrey was older, not with my 40 year old friend."

"Shut up. And it's more about me." Dan sighed and pulled his hair in a bun as best he could. 

"You realise I'm not a therapist, right?" Brian raised an eyebrow as Dan nodded. "Cool. So what's the deal?"

"I've been unconsciously avoiding Arin and consciously avoiding being affectionate, and he's noticed."

"Everyone has noticed, Dan."

"Really?" He looked up in slight horror. He had been hoping it wasn't obvious. 

"Yes. You went from being all over Arin to not even touching him with a ten foot pole."

Dan groaned. "Goddammit. Brian, what the hell is wrong with me?"

"Well, have you considered the fact that you feel gay for him?"

"No," Dan said quickly, only raising Brian's suspicions. "I'm not gay for Arin. Just knowing he likes me makes me feel weird."

"Weird how?" Brian sat up a bit, curious how not gay his friend was convinced he was. "Don't be afraid to say anything. You know I don't care."

"Thanks, you're a great friend." He rolled his eyes. "Like. He told me he liked me and I came over and spent those weeks with you and Rachel." 

"Yes, I was there."

"Yeah. And I've been thinking since. Like. I don't want things to change. I'm used to the fact that people want us together. I've seen the internet. But this feels more concrete. Now seeing him makes my stomach go in knots. I wanna almost be _more_ affectionate with him. Maybe kiss his cheek a little. Make him all flustered, you know? Tease him over his crush when we're not recording."

Brian nodded, and Dan continued, zoning out a little. "And... Maybe a little more than that. Maybe go out to lunch with him. Watch more movies with him. Even... Brian, if this ever leaves this house I'm going to kill you." He took a deep breath. "I want to kiss Arin. Just to see what it's like."

It was silent between the two of them. Finally, Brian spoke up, "I think you may have just hit a breakthrough."

"Do you think so?" Dan questioned softly, looking up at Brian.

"Yeah. You don't seem as tense as you were the majority of this week. I think it's just a matter of actually acting on those things. Get back to the same relationship you guys were at. And from there, maybe make it more."

Dan nodded. Brian adjusted to face him. "And Dan," he started seriously. "If you need practice kissing guys, I'm here for you."

"Brian!"

The physisict laughed. "What?! I am! Rachel won't care. After all, I've been barking up your tree for years."

"God you're so weird." Dan smiled though, and Brian thought it was nice to see Dan finally happy. 

"Seriously, kissing guys is a whole other ballpark. Especially with the facial hair."

"I've had one breakthrough. I'm not ready for kissing." He nudged Brian, trying to get him to leave. "You can go now."

"Nah, I think I'll stay. Teach you the fine art of making out."

"Get out of my house, dammit."

"Alright, alright." The two went to the door. Brian grabbed his coat and paused a moment where Dan was holding the door. He leaned up and kissed his cheek firmly. "Have a good night, Danny."

Dan pushed him out the door, Brian cackling the whole way to his car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you thought the second chapter was the end? Nope. I've got a lot more for this.
> 
> Also I didn't mean to at the start, but I guess all the chapters will begin with the letter C.
> 
> Come say hi on Tumblr @pink-ego!


	4. Conciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Arin need to just sit down and talk. They kind of do that.

Dan pushed the door open and carefully balanced the drinks on his hand. For once, he was glad he had very large hands. He nearly dropped one but managed to wrap his other hand around it as the door shut behind him. “Arin, I got you a treat.” He nudged off his coat and shoes before walking over.

The other man sitting on the couch turned slightly. “What?” He looked angry but it was only because their save file was lost and he was having to replay the game. “Unless you have our lost files I don’t give a flying fuck, honestly.” He huffed and looked back at the screen.

“No, I got you a sweet tea. Here.” Dan handed him one of the cups and sat back down. Arin looked at it and took a sip before setting it on the side table. “Good?” He sipped his own iced coffee and looked at his friend. Arin hummed in what Dan could only assume was a yes and resumed his game.

Things were fairly awkward after the night before when they had fought, but after talking with Brian, Dan was at least trying. He was letting himself try to relax when he felt that bubble of feeling in his belly. Arin, on the other hand, seemed to be frustrated and angry at him still. It wasn’t uncommon for him to hold onto his feelings.

Dan played on his phone for a few minutes, mostly looking at Red/dit. Usually they would crack jokes and talk, but again, things were tense. “So how much further do you have?” he asked softly, breaking the silence aside from the soft game music.

“Like. Thirty minutes.” Arin didn’t look at him. He could only imagine what was going through his head.

Dan nodded. He didn’t want to push Arin to talk, but the room felt awkward. Those thirty minutes came and went as slow as a snail, and he was close, but he was getting stuck on a puzzle he couldn’t remember the solution to. “Do you want me to look up the walkthrough?”

“No.” He grit his teeth. Dan glanced at the screen then him and ventured another ask, thinking it might make him happier to get past the game so they could fake it for the camera.

“Are you sure? You’ve been on this for a good hour, dude.” He pulled up his phone and began to type it in just in case. He could see Arin wasn’t able to concentrate and a walkthrough would speed things up and hopefully eliminate that angry feeling.

However, Arin didn’t seem to think the same. “Have I? Well, why don’t you just do this yourself?!” He pushed the controller at Dan, who took it but didn’t start playing. He instead hit the pause button.

“Arin, what’s wrong? You’re… unnecessarily angry—”

“How are you so fucking calm?! How are you acting like our conversation didn’t happen? Oh, we’re so friendly with each other! We’re so great!” He began waving his arms around, emphasizing that he wasn’t seriously angry but that he was obviously annoyed.

Dan furrowed his brows. He lowered the controller that he’d been unconsciously shielding himself with and set it on the ground. “We are fine—”

“No, we are not! You started ignoring me because I told you I like you and now you’re acting like it didn’t happen!” He pointed accusatorially at Dan before let out a loud groan and he grabbed his hair angrily. “And now I’m stressed the fuck out because of the way you’re acting!”

Dan ventured, “Do… Do you want to talk about things?” He reached out and put a hand gingerly on Arin’s shoulder. For once, he didn’t yank away. He instead leaned into the touch, looking slightly towards Dan. There was a… pause in their tension. But the vaguely okay feeling didn’t last long.

Arin shook his head and looked away from him. “No. I mean, yes. I mean, fuck off.” He stood to leave, grabbing his tea. “Session’s canceled. I’ll work on this later. Just go home, Dan.”

Dan began to panic seeing Arin leaving. He looked at his hands and then got up, vaulting over the couch and standing between Arin and the door. “Don’t go.”

Arin raised an eyebrow. “Dan, what the hell. Let me leave. You’re acting like a child.”

“No, we need to talk things out.” He held his arms out, trying to make himself larger. “Sit back down. Please.”

Arin rolled his eyes and went to push Dan out of the way, but the man was used to Brian wrestling him and was able to stand his ground. “Dan. Move.”

They fought back against one another for a while. Dan could feel himself getting tired and Arin always had the upper hand. In a last-second move, Dan had him against the wall. They both panted and Arin looked between them. “Were we in a different situation I might actually enjoy this.”

It became obvious to the other that he was done fighting back. “Why do you want me to stay here so bad? We’re just gonna have awkward conversations during the show and the lovelies don’t need to know that we’re having problems.”

Dan bit his lip for a moment. “I want to just discuss this. Discuss us. I don’t like us fighting.” He let go of Arin a bit, but he watched in case he tried to bolt for the door. “Please.”

The younger sighed and shrugged. “Fine.” He moved past Dan and sat down on the couch. “Well. Talk.” He crossed his arms and pointedly looked everywhere Dan wasn’t.

Dan nodded and followed suit to sit down. “Brian and I talked again last night and we hit a breakthrough for me.”

“Great. This is all about you,” Arin muttered. He crossed his arms and sat back.  
Dan rolled his eyes. “Do you want to talk? I thought maybe I would take the first step. Cause you don’t seem so talkative. You seem just super annoyed.”

“Gee, Dan, what makes you think that?!” He looked at the man, who looked highly put off. Arin let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m just… confused too. And this avoiding one another bullshit is tense.”

“You think it isn’t tense for me too?” Dan sighed. “I come in here cause I love my job and I love working here. But instead, you’re being pissy.”

Arin went to protest when he just sighed and nodded. “Fine. I’ve been acting like a little bitch. I’m sorry. It’s just cause it’s been so long since that first night and we’ve made more progress backwards than forwards.”

Dan thought about it and nodded. “I’ll admit, that’s mostly on me. I avoided you for like a month.”

“Yeah. Dick move.”

“Oh hush. I can’t help it was scary. I guess I have internalized homophobia like you mentioned.” He sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Arin shook his head. “Me too, Dan. Can we just… play this dumb game? Get a few episodes in at least. I really don’t wanna go home.”

Dan smiled. “Alright. Sounds good to me. Also, I do have the puzzle pulled up so we can get past it.”

“Great. Cause I wasn’t about to be able to get past it myself.” Arin grabbed the controller off the floor and sipped his drink.

Dan watched him start back up and listened to him start on some dumb story. Maybe they would be okay.


End file.
